Marcus Smart didn’t have to wait long to make an impact at Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys won their way into championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November, where they had the opportunity to face sixth-ranked N.C. State.

“We talked about how that was a statement game for us,” Smart says, “to go out and prove—not to other people, but just to ourselves—that we could play with the best of them.”

Turns out, with Smart playing beyond his years as a freshman point guard, the Cowboys can play with the best teams in the country. Oklahoma State beat the Wolfpack by a stunning 20-point margin, and Smart turned in equally stunning numbers—the five-star recruit had 20 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots.

“I definitely had a lot of things working, but I also had five turnovers that game,” Smart says. “Being a point guard, I have to limit those turnovers. I mean, if N.C. State was playing to the best of their abilities like we know they could have, that could have been a very drastic game for me with those five turnovers because the game could have went the other way.”

That attitude, that “what can I do better next time?” approach, is a big reason why Smart changes everything for the Oklahoma State basketball program. He has won at every level—state high school championships each of his final two years at Marcus High in Flower Mound, Texas and a gold medal in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championships in Brazil this summer—and is determined to transform an Oklahoma State team that has missed the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons.

Florida coach Billy Donovan led that Under-18 team and raved about Smart’s leadership skills. And Smart said the opportunity to play point guard for that squad—which included several current and future college stars—was a huge confidence boost and helped define his vision of what a point guard should be.

“In my mind, a point guard is a leader, somebody who is there to help others around him get better and do anything that he has to do for the team,” Smart says. “That’s not just scoring, but the other aspects of the game, contributing to get the win. That’s what you have to do.”

To that end, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that Smart—who, at 6-4, 225 pounds, is built more like a linebacker than a point guard—leads the Cowboys in rebounding at 7.7 per game, to go with his 14.2 points, 5.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

There are, of course, areas that need work. He has turned the ball over five times in three of his six college games, and he is shooting just 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from 2-point range and 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from beyond the 3-point arc.

“I’ve been working on my shot a lot more now, and I definitely think I’m a better shooter than what I’ve shot,” he says. “But everybody has their days where the shots aren’t always going to fall, but it’s how you respond and the things you do when your shot’s not falling.”

That’s where he really causes headaches for opponents. He’s big enough to post up guards, and he’s adept at getting into the lane and scoring or dishing or drawing fouls on post players coming over to help.

“Marcus Smart is a very, very good guard,” said Virginia Tech coach James Johnson, who had the task of game-planning for Smart this past Saturday. “He does a lot of things (well).”

Knowing how dangerous Smart is with the ball, Johnson made sure his players did everything they could—helping often, trapping off ball screens, etc.—to get the ball out of Smart’s hands. Coaches aren’t the only ones who recognize Smart’s abilities.

Opposing fans catch on quickly, too. At Virginia Tech, the frenzied student section needed a villain as their Hokies, the team from which nothing much was expected in preseason, were delivering body blows to the Cowboys midway through the second half.

Erick Green, who finished with 28 points, was their hero, and everyone wearing a Virginia Tech uniform was worthy of their vocal affection. The crowd needed a focal point on which to direct their negative energy, which was in ample supply, too.

They found one in Smart.

The freshman had been involved in everything that afternoon. He drew two quick fouls on Green in the game’s opening minutes—he was fouled by Green on a post-up on Oklahoma State’s first possession and then drew a charge on Green when the Hokies were trying to make a simple inbounds pass. Smart grabbed the big rebounds. He initiated the Cowboys’ offense. He found open looks for teammates all over the court.

He was Oklahoma State’s motivator, both with his play and with his verbal encouragement.

Smart was doing the things leaders do, and it was driving the Virginia Tech fans crazy. Then, when he drew a foul on Marquis Rankin—one of five he drew on Virginia Tech players during the game—and protested a foul called on him shortly after, the crowd had enough. For the last 11 minutes of the game, every time Smart touched the ball, boos rained down. It didn’t matter whether he was bringing the ball up the court or just whipping a pass around the perimeter; the crowd seemed to relish booing Smart as much as they enjoyed cheering their Hokies.

The crowd might have had the last laugh—the Hokies won the game—but it wasn’t at Smart’s expense. The freshman point guard played 37 minutes and didn’t commit a single turnover, despite the crowd’s best efforts to get under his skin in the first true road game of his college career.

“I think he handled it pretty good,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “I thought he competed. It wasn’t one of his best games, but he competed.”

Smart finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals. And his coach was right. That wasn’t one of his best games.